Happy Endings
by Annie Lovegood
Summary: Hermione reveals somethings about her. In a day which is not very specific for that. And she learns what happy endings are.


"Harry!" she'd lost count of the times she'd called him that day… as well as she'd lost count of the times he hadn't answered, because he had always been talking to someone else, like now; he was talking to a couple she didn't know. She waited a few seconds and just when she was starting to loose her patience, he turned around to face her.

"Hum… Hi! Er… hum… Really nice – suits you…" she said, motioning towards his black suit – didn't she have something better to say?

He smiled. "You look very nice too."

She gave a nervous smile and said, "Would you mind coming outside with me? Er… I think I need some fresh air…"

"Are you feeling alright, Hermione?"

"Yes… no, I just… it's a bit too hot in here."

"Okay, then." He had barely said this and she was already making her way to the door, looking back from time to time to check if he was still there.

She opened the door and shivered with the shock of the wind and went out into the gardens. The bushes were decorated with little dots of colourful lights and there were silver-grey benches near them – it was simple yet very beautiful.

She led him to one of the benches and sat down, shivering again because the stone was freezing cold.

"Erm… Are you sure it isn't too cold in here?" he said, noticing she'd shivered.

She shook her head and tried to smile. A huge amount of different thoughts rushed through her head – each more weird than the one before, but none of them was related to what she wanted to say, to what she had come there to do.

"Hum… You did a fantastic job with this place.", she managed to say.

"No, not me. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. They wanted it to be perfect, especially Ginny…" Hermione saw a fire burning in his green eyes, a fire of happiness which she'd never seen in him.

"Yeah… I'm glad you're finally happy… You deserve it. It's so good to see that you of all people are settling down and taking time for your own."

"Yes, I-I guess I'm going to be able to have the kind of home I never had at the Dursleys'… But, er, what about you, I mean, have you been, huh, seeing anyone since you and Ron, huh-"

"No… no, I haven't." and then she murmured to herself. "Still haven't managed to forget him, have I?"

"Oh-oh, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, it's okay. It's-I wasn't talking about Ron… you know, I'm so happy to hear he and Luna hooked up… It's just that…" she sat, staring at her hands which lay on her lap, silent… thinking about what to say, where to begin. She breathed slowly, afraid that she would start crying soon, fearing that the whole speech she'd rehearsed had left her mind. "Did he ever tell you how did we break up? Why? Everyone thinks it was just one of our fights. But it wasn't… I never thought Ron would have the maturity to-well, we-one day, he just came up to me and said he loved me, but I didn't love him as much. Said there was someone else in my mind, someone I tried to forget, someone he tried to forget… But none of us could. Said it had to be over and despite the pain, he could handle it; all he wanted was to see me happy. But I couldn't find happiness with him. He couldn't find happiness with me, always having to try and fail beating that ghost in my heart. I was so surprised – I was agape, I couldn't say anything. He'd gotten deep into my heart just like that and he'd spoken about something I'd tried to forget for so long. And I would've managed, if…"

"Well, you and that person… You aren't with him?"

"Afraid not. I tried to forget him, because I knew he would never date me, or even look at me in a different way…" there was a knot in her throat and her lips were dry. Her eyes, on the contrary, were so wet she knew the tears would burst anytime now. "Be-Because he was too worried about other things, because he always fell for popular, pretty girls… Because he is married to one of my best friends… from this day on." She turned her head, afraid of his reaction, to hide a tear that had fallen of her right eye.

The icy hand of silence fell upon them. Harry had a confusing look, like he was trying to analyse her words and finding out what to say next. Hermione wiped her tears away and stood waiting for something she didn't know, daydreaming, hoping he would say he loved her and they would run away together. But that was a fairytale. And only fairytale princesses had happy endings; but one thing she wasn't was a fairytale princess.

"Huh, how? Hmmm… Are-are you s-sure you didn't get your feelings for… for… for me wrong?"

"Surely not. Ever since that Halloween on our first year at Hogwarts, I've loved you. I couldn't help it. And then when I realised I was attracted to Ron I thought my feelings for you were starting to wear off. I thought I felt for Ron what I had felt for you. But I was wrong, and it was awful when I found it out – when I realised you fancied Cho. And I tried, I tried so hard to forget you. I hid my feelings in both my relationships with Ron and with Viktor; I hid them, by helping Ginny; I hid them by helping you… I-I tried everything, but I couldn't erase it from my mind, especially when I was with you almost everyday. I just want you to know that I've always wanted you to be happy and tried so hard to stop loving you. But I learnt in the cruelest way that we can't control our feelings – they're the ones who control us." She reached her cheeks to wipe the tears once more. "And what I can't understand is why I still daydream, I still hope you'll run away with me… and we'll be lovers forever. But that's part of my imagination. Part of some fairytale mommy's tell their little daughters for them to have a good sleep. Well, I realised I'm not part of those stories and… I mean, look at you. You're looking gorgeous, with a ring on your finger, which simbolizes your love for Ginny, and here you are, sitting on a cold bench, listening to your best friend confessing she's loved you ever since she laid eyes on you… Look at what I've made, I-I ruined the greatest day of your life! And I'm… I'm leaving… for good… 'Bye, Harry! Hope you have a life happier than mine." She turned away, sure that her eyes were all red and puffy because of her weeping.

It was a matter of seconds before she felt the warm touch of human flesh on her left wrist. She shivered as the hand on her wrist made her turn around gently and found herself being kissed by her best-friend who had just married her "little sister". It felt so good, and all the cold she felt was turned into a warm feeling all over her body… But she parted and turned around again, this time leaving a sad-faced Harry.

She looked back. She had done what she wanted. She'd told Harry the truth. And he had kissed her. But why didn't he come after her? Why didn't he say he loved her? Why didn't they run away together? "Because there is no such thing as happy endings in real life", she muttered, disapparating with a tear on the corner of her eyes.


End file.
